It’s no secret Brunswick County Schools will be short more than $5 million during the next fiscal year.

We know this means a potential loss of jobs, programs and services the district will be available to offer. It takes money to run a school district, and when the money isn’t there, cuts have to be made. It’s unavoidable.

What should be avoidable and not in question is cutting funding for the Transition Academy, Brunswick County’s newest school that opened last August.

BOLIVIA—Because of state and local shortfalls in education funding the Eighth-Grade Transition Academy is at risk of losing its funding source.

At the Brunswick County Board of Education’s budget retreat earlier this month, administration said the program might be eliminated due to the loss of at risk funds, which will be cut by a half-million dollars.

The Transition Academy has five teachers, one counselor and a principal, positions that were supposed to be filled by transfers, not new hires.

What do you get when you mix together one senior, one junior, two sophomores and three freshmen on one Class 3-A golf team? A small, young team with more opportunities for everyone to play and gain valuable experience against stronger New Hanover county 4-A schools.

In many places, the spring fishing has started off slowly, but don’t tell that to the folks landing the big red drum in our inshore waters. Shallow-water anglers and fishing guides have reported steady action on nice-sized redfish throughout the entire winter, and the landings are impressive. While pier patrons wait on the whiting and bluefish and surf fishermen fight skates and small sharks, light-tackle anglers are having a ball in the backwaters on the dependable red drum.

RALEIGH—Coastal counties may have won this battle, but the war is far from over.

On Friday, March 20, Wake County Superior Court Judge William Pittman ruled in favor of a group of coastal counties and municipalities, enacting a stay on the Beach Plan and FAIR Plan deductibles and surcharges.

But there is no mention in Pittman’s order of a stay of the 29.5 percent increase to homeowners’ insurance rates set to take effect May 1.